July boost in limestone cargo for Great Lakes carriers

Shipments of limestone on the Great Lakes totaled 4,090,079 tons in July, the highest total for the trade since July 2012, according to the Lake Carriers’ Association, which represents 17 American companies that operate 57 U.S.-flag vessels on the Great Lakes.
Loadings for July totaled 4,083,753 tons.
Loadings out of U.S. quarries reached 3.5 million tons in July, an increase of 17.7 percent compared to a year ago, while shipments from Canadian quarries totaled 555,000 tons, a slight increase over a year ago, the association said.
The association noted that year-to-date, the Lakes’ limestone trade stands at 12 million tons, a decrease of 6.1 percent, compared to a year ago. “Much of the decrease is the result of the brutal winter of 2013/2014. Ice conditions were so formidable that the limestone trade did not resume in earnest until late April,” LCA said.